Our founder’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of travel, culture, and a passion for well-being.
Born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County, California Lauren moved to Taiwan at age 16. In sending her to live there, her parents hoped the experience would ignite a curiosity for exploring her own heritage and other cultures.
While attending Mandarin classes in Taiwan, she was hired as the youngest person to work for Cathay Pacific Airways. As a VIP Marco Polo agent, she worked at the airport and became fascinated by the diversity of travelers she met. This early experience laid the foundation for making cross-cultural connections; she began to realize that despite our diverse backgrounds, we share a common humanity.
After returning to the United States following her enriching 2.5-year sojourn overseas, Lauren found herself at a crossroads. She decided to enroll in a travel academy and was presented with an opportunity to work at a startup tour company located in Beverly Hills. The role offered her valuable insights into group travel and travel agency operations, areas that would later become foundational to her career advancements.
This marked the beginning of Lauren’s journey within the travel and aviation sector. Her dedication and enthusiasm were evident, and upon graduation, she was quickly snapped up by Northwest Airlines. Her proficiency in Mandarin, a skill that set her apart from many, secured her a dual role as an international interpreter and ticket agent, positions that required both linguistic finesse and a deep understanding of customer service.
She also took on a part-time graveyard shift at TWA as a reservations agent to gain more experience in customer service and other airline computer systems, Simultaneously, she pursued further education, attending evening classes at UCLA, a testament to her commitment to continuous learning and personal growth.
Lauren’s career took a significant leap forward when she was recruited and appointed as the Director of Marketing and Sales for an airline wholesale company based in San Francisco. Under her leadership, the company not only thrived but became one of the top three entities in the U.S. within the airline consolidation business. Her strategic vision led to the inception of two new divisions within the company—corporate travel and tour operations. These initiatives diversified the company’s offerings and significantly enhanced its profit margins.
Two years later, she experienced a profound shift in her career aspirations. She left her position and decided to join her father in real estate project management and construction, overseeing operations that spanned from California to Singapore. Despite the achievements and experience gained in real estate, she felt a deep-seated yearning for the travel industry’s vibrant challenges and vast opportunities for exploration.
This unyielding passion for discovery and cultural engagement prompted her to take a bold step: securing a loan to establish herself as a travel entrepreneur.
1989, Lauren founded CMC Travel Services in the heart of downtown San Francisco. The company was grounded in Lauren’s deep-rooted love for cultural exploration, an interest in working with corporate travelers, and a steadfast dedication to service excellence.
From her tiny 150 square foot office, Lauren made an average of 70 cold calls a day and landed her business a million dollars of revenue within 6 months. CMC quickly emerged as a distinguished entity in the corporate travel management sector, specializing in catering to international VIP executives navigating startups from the inception to buyout phases.
CMC quickly distinguished itself for its exceptional customer service, efficient turnaround times, and specialization serving biotech and venture capital executives. In these early years, CMC acquired four other travel companies and was repeatedly named one of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing companies by the San Francisco Business Times.
Under her leadership, CMC cultivated more than just a reputation for professional success; it was also lauded for creating a warm, family-like atmosphere within the workplace. An ardent proponent of health and fitness, the founder integrated this philosophy into the company’s culture. The office featured a workout facility and employed personal trainers, encouraging employees to partake in activities such as cycling, weight training, kickboxing, and running. This focus on a healthy lifestyle was extended to clients as well, with invitations to aerobics workouts, long walks, and kickboxing classes.
The company was steeped in camaraderie, with employees and clients enjoying global travel together and marking holidays with festive celebrations. The staff traveled often together from San Francisco to New York and Paris. Baskets stuffed candy and cookies celebrated Easter, pumpkin gift boxes appeared on desks at Halloween, and stockings were hung in the office at Christmas. These traditions strengthened the team spirit and deepened the bonds with clients, leading to high retention rates and blurring the professional and personal lines through frequent social gatherings.
The founder’s adventurous spirit and affinity for nature inspired the creation of Actif, a new division within CMC dedicated to adventure and active travel to exotic locations. Actif offered unique experiences, such as jungle trekking in Borneo to observe wild orangutans in their natural habitat, climbing Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu, sea kayaking with Caveman John in the open ocean, and exploring Thailand’s golden triangle accompanied by Thai military guards.
These activities provided executives with an alternative perspective on the world, prioritizing ethical travel practices. This forward-thinking approach led to recognition from Conde Nast as one of the top seven companies for ethical travel, cementing CMC’s role as a pioneer in combining business with adventure and cultural immersion.
In 2014, CMC once again expanded its offerings by launching Estate 88, a division catering to high-net-worth international clients relocating to the USA. This service provided concierge travel and lifestyle services, encouraging clients to explore beyond the usual enclaves. Estate 88 introduced clients to the joys of Napa and Sonoma, including wine tasting classes, cocktail-making sessions with mixologists, and outdoor activities like hiking and nature walks.
Introduction to the american active lifestyle and lifestyle brands such as Lululemon made this service particularly popular among movie stars, directors, and creatives, this lead to a collaboration between Lauren and China TV filming a series on America Active Lifestyle and Napa Wines culture , further expanding
CMC’s clientele and reinforcing its reputation as a versatile and innovative leader in the travel and lifestyle sector. Through these expansions and initiatives, Lauren has not only demonstrated an unwavering commitment to her passions but also a visionary approach to providing comprehensive and culturally enriching experiences to a diverse global clientele.
As technology overtook the travel industry, Lauren felt that the creative nature of her work and personal contact with her clients suffered. The joy of corporate travel management within CMC’s existing business model was significantly diminished, and in 2017 she took time off to think about transforming the business into something more rewarding.
During this transition, Lauren rekindled her connection with sports, particularly tennis, while simultaneously nurturing a growing fascination with the wellness industry. This period marked more than just a re-engagement with fitness; it represented a deep exploration into the synergy between various healing modalities and her enduring passion for travel and global connectivity.
This confluence of interests and experiences laid the foundation for the creation of MGL (My Global Life, LLC) in 2021. MGL was born from a desire to fuse the benefits of wellness with medical tourism and travel.
Today, MGL provides concierge travel to clients and marketing services to emerging countries in Southeast Asia with a mission to bring luxury-oriented international holistic and integrative wellness experiences to travelers worldwide. The company partners with a variety of hotels and resorts to develop curated programs, promoting wellness in all its many forms. Central to MGL’s philosophy is a commitment to highlighting and incorporating the destination’s traditional wellness practices while supporting and promoting local brands and service providers.
MGL’s services extend to facilitating longer-term stays at partner hotels and resorts, where guests can enjoy bespoke wellness programs crafted in collaboration with Lauren and her team. These programs are designed to offer top-tier accommodations, added value through exclusive benefits, and private experiences (ranging from meditation and mindfulness sessions with monks to personalized fashion design with bespoke tailored clothing).
Moreover, MGL embraces medical tourism, presenting clients with premier alternatives for medical treatments and procedures at globally recognized hospitals, ensuring a comprehensive approach to health and recovery.
Personalized consultations are a hallmark of MGL’s service, ensuring each program is meticulously tailored to meet the individual’s holistic and integrative wellness needs. The ultimate goal of MGL is to connect its community with life-changing experiences that marry the richness of diverse cultures with the principles of holistic well-being.
Through MGL, Lauren’s extraordinary journey continues to inspire broader exploration of the world. The company’s offerings invite others to discover new destinations not just as tourists but as participants in a global movement towards wellness, connection, and a deeper appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our planet.